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To enhance their conservation value, several hundred islands worldwide have been cleared of invasive alien rats, Rattus spp. One of the largest projects yet undertaken was on 43 km2 Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group, South Pacific, in August 2011. Following massive immediate mortality, a single R. exulans was observed in March 2012 and, subsequently, rat numbers have recovered. The survivors show no sign of resistance to the toxicant used, brodifacoum. Using pre and post-operation rat tissue samples from Henderson, plus samples from around the Pacific, we exclude re-introduction as the source of continued rat presence. Microsatellite analysis of 18 loci enabled comparison of genetic diversity of Henderson rats before and after the bait drop. The fall in diversity measured by allele frequency change indicated that the bottleneck through which the breeding population passed was probably around 50 individuals, representing a census population of about 60-80 animals. This is the first failed project that has estimated how close it was to success.

This document is a step-by-step guide to facilitating a one-day workshop on understanding climate change science and is targeted at audiences in the Pacific island region and Timor-Leste. The training module provides PowerPoint presentations with facilitator notes and explains participatory exercises aimed at enhancing capacity in understanding climate change science.

Pacific Climate Futures Version 2.0 is a web-based climate impacts decision-support tool available for free.

Tropical cyclones (TCs) affect many Pacific Island countries and their impacts can be sever in vulnerable island communities. An understanding of how tropical cyclones may change under future climates, including changes in windspeeds and associated rainfall, is essential for managing future climate risks and saving lives.

PACC reports

Reports from the PACC project